Cleveland Indians: Bold Predictions for final 10 regular season games

With just 10 games remaining in the 2020 regular season, here are three bold predictions for what the final leg of this wild year may hold for the Cleveland Indians.

Perhaps the strangest regular season in Cleveland Indians history is just 10 games away from coming to a close.

The Indians are 50 games into the 60 game sprint in front of no fans that is the 2020 regular season amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Currently, Cleveland is 27-23 on the year and in line to clinch the seventh seed in the American League playoffs but Thursday, finally broke an eight-game losing streak that saw them go from atop the AL Central to third place with nearly no hope of winning the division remaining.

Cleveland currently sits six games behind the Chicago White Sox for the AL Central lead and three games behind the Minnesota Twins for second place. If the Indians were to at least catch the Twins, they’d find themselves locked into the fourth, fifth or sixth seed but instead appear destined for the seventh or eighth spot.

The Indians lead the Toronto Blue Jays for the final AL Wild Card spot but are still five games up on the Seattle Mariners from falling out of the postseason. Thus, despite a late-season skid, Cleveland will almost surely be playing in October for the fourth time in the past five seasons.

What will happen the Indians’ final 10 regular season games of 2020? Here are three bold predictions.

A year after being named the starting first basemen in the All-Star game, Indians’ first baseman Carlos Santana has struggled mightily.

Santana is slashing just .199/.361/.310 with five home runs and 23 RBI’s. This comes after he slashed .281/.397/.515 with 34 home runs and 93 RBI’s. In his last 15 games, the veteran is slashing a woeful .170/.302/.264 with just one homer and six RBI’s.

While Santana’s on-base percentage is still respectful, this is due to his always impressive ability to draw walks at a high rate as he ranks first in the majors with 43 base on balls.

However, Santana’s power and run production has taken a clear drop off. With the Indians offense needing someone to step up during their final playoff push, the 34-year old veteran seems like the perfect candidate to breakthrough.

As a veteran player who has played in the postseason three times, including in the World Series, Santana has experience of playing in a pennant race and rising up to the occasion when needed.

Santana has also been through the highs and lows of an MLB season and, when on his game, gets on base and knocks the ball out of the ballpark as much as anyone in the majors.

Thus, look for the veteran to breakthrough and help get the Indians offense into a rhythm over the final 10 games.

Not only is Shane Bieber the favorite to take home the AL Cy Young Award, but he also has a legitimate chance at becoming the first pitcher to win an MVP Award since Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers did so in 2014.

In 11 starts this season, the Indians right-hander is 8-1 with a 1.74 ERA. Bieber leads baseball in wins (eight), strikeouts (112) and innings pitched (72.1).

After leading the Indians to their streak breaking victory over the Detroit Tigers, Bieber’s next start is scheduled for Tuesday when Cleveland hosts the division-leading White Sox in the second game of a four-game set from Progressive Field.

With the way Chicago has swung the bats of late, this may be the start that finally sees Bieber get knocked around.

Chicago has won eight of their last 10 games, hold the best record in the AL (33-17) and have clinched their first postseason berth since 2008.

The strength of their bull club is the offense that ranks second in the majors in batting average (.272) and hits (467), fourth in runs scored (267) and fifth in home runs (83).

As they look to close out their first AL Central title since 2008, expect them to have no mercy on an even a pitcher of Bieber’s caliber and knock the Indians ace to 8-2 on the year in what could be his final regular season start of the campaign.